Costello urges 'respectful' abortion debate

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Treasurer Peter Costello has urged government opponents of
abortion to consider all sides of the issue when arguing their
case.

Several ministers, including Health Minister Tony Abbott, Deputy
Prime Minister John Anderson and Special Minister of State Eric
Abetz, have called for a debate about Medicare funding of
abortions.

Governor-General Michael Jeffery has also weighed in, saying it
would be "great" if the number of abortions could be reduced while
still respecting a woman's right to choose.

Asked if he thought his federal colleagues should tone down the
debate, Mr Costello said they were entitled to have and express
their views.

"This is a very difficult area for all of those that are
concerned," Mr Costello told reporters in Melbourne.

"People who have strong opinions shouldn't feel as if they can't
express them, but I would say that they ought to be expressed
within the framework of understanding and concern and care for what
is right for mothers and children and society as a whole."

The Women's Electoral Lobby today accused the ministers of
manufacturing a crisis about abortion to promote their own moral
views.

Abortion numbers were dropping, WEL spokeswoman Eva Cox
said.

"There is no crisis, no reason for any major inquiry," Ms Cox
said.

But Liberal MPs are understood to be working on two private
members' bills for when parliament resumes next week.

One would restrict access to late-term abortions in the
Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory, where the
commonwealth has jurisdiction, while the second would require women
seeking a termination to obtain counselling independent of the
abortion clinic.

New MPs arriving for their introduction to parliament today
played down the need for any change to the laws, while Mr Costello
said it was a state responsibility.

"If there are people that believe that the law as it is
currently weighted is wrong, and if they do want legislative
change, then it is important that they take that up with the state
governments and the state parliaments," Mr Costello said.

"It is not a matter which is determined by the federal
government."

The states have shown no sign of reviewing their laws, with
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie accusing the government of
starting the debate to repay conservative religious party Family
First for its election preference deals.

But Family First senator-elect Steve Fielding said that was not
true.

"We won't be a puppet of any other party," Mr Fielding told the
Nine Network.

"We'll look at each issue ... and vote what is best in the
family interest."

Figures published today showed a 6.46 per cent drop in
Medicare-funded abortions over the past decade.

A total of 73,191 terminations were paid for by Medicare between
June 2003 and June this year.

Mr Fielding said while the number of abortions had dropped,
there were still too many being performed.

"Seventy thousand or 100,000 is still a lot and all we're asking
for is really a forum, a federally-funded forum, where we can get
the experts around to really talk about the issue and then to see
if we have the right sort of balance happening at the moment," he
said.